GSA targets cluster of federal buildings for redevelopment

By
Jolie Lee

Several sprawling federal buildings in southwest DC are at the center
of a
massive
redevelopment project.

The General Services Administration is considering redeveloping an area that
includes the Energy Department complex, FAA buildings, GSA offices and the old
Cotton Annex.

It's part of an effort to "to make this a more vibrant neighborhood and infuse a
mix
of uses while it still would be a very federal presence," said Diane Sullivan,
lead
sustainability planner for the National Capital Planning Commission, in an
interview
with The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.

Story continues below map.

Map courtesy of National Capital Planning Commission.

GSA has issued a notice of intent to request information from the private
companies
in this redevelopment area. The NCPC is working with GSA on its SW Ecodistrict
Initiative, to make the district a model of a sustainable, urban environment.

Sullivan said the commission is applauding GSA for taking a "holistic" approach to
examining this district for redevelopment.

One of the main changes would be an overhaul of the Energy Department
headquarters, which spans 10 blocks, she said.

"We felt the benefits of actually taking that down would far outweigh ones for
leaving
it," Sullivan said.

For one, the complex is "extremely inefficient" because of its size.

"We think the Department of Energy, of all agencies, should probably have a much
more sustainable building," Sullivan said.

The next step for NCPC is to redesign the promenade — the street itself
— that connects the National Mall to the waterfront.

"Everybody wants a better connection between those two areas ... The SW
Ecodistrict Initiative is the impetus," she said.